• Launching Global Compact Network
  (tags:  global compact)
   
• GC Quarterly on Business in Conflict zones
  (tags: GC business)

• BMZ - Rede Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul "Good Governance und Transparenz der Finanzströme in der Rohstoffindustrie"

I attended a conference on Business and NGO partnerships last week. Good for readers of this blog that there was an off-the-record policy which blocked all WLAN and thus prevented me from live-blogging!

After there had been little uptake of our blog in 2006 (our own hits not counting...), we discontinued it for the time being. We hope to get it back on track this summer break, extending on readership and content through some viral stuff, CSR-chicks etc.

The way of how transnational corporations (TNCs) should or could behave in areas of conflict remains largely absent from the agendas of  most companies and their stakeholders. Exceptions to this are only the most blatant and negative cases: corporate activities fuelling wars (e.g. "blood diamonds"); corporations generating large profits through personal allegiances (e.g. Kellog, Brown & Root in Iraq); or corporations establishing business leads to e.g. government contracts through corruption ("if we don't do it, our competitor will").

A sort of peer review? OECD on DAC

ECCP - Mainstreaming conflict

Pinkney - MNCs, CSR and conflict (2005)

Beyond cold peace - German foreign office (2004)

The Worldbank PSD-blog had a look into the CSR-policies of both the British Tory and Labour parties.

Managing Partner of Comm Unity

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) remains a cornerstone of new international development commitments. But how effective is it, and how can donor countries maximise its benefits? A recent OECD-paper looks at the connections between aid, trade and investment policies.